<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Circle of Stars by sqbr</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27604555">A Circle of Stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sqbr/pseuds/sqbr'>sqbr</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Comic, Fantasy, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:28:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>737</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27604555</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sqbr/pseuds/sqbr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A humourous fantasy webcomic I drew in the mid 2000s about an astronomer who goes on an expedition to the moon and ends up in a strange fantasy world. Also everyone is talking cats.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Posting this here since Smackjeeves is dying. Even though I never finished this, and I've grown as a lot as a creator since then, I'm still pretty proud of myself for making a solid go at a longform comic when I'd never really written anything outside of school creative writing assignments. I learnt a lot! For example: I learned I will <i>never write a longform comic again, holy crap they are so much work</i>. </p><p>15 years ago I was a clueless 20 something with more enthusiasm than sense, and my attempts at social commentary were well-meaning but unsubtle and sometimes unfortunate. Also it ends rather abruptly since I hadn't figured out how to write endings yet. But I think some of the jokes still hold up!</p><p>I haven't got image descriptions for all of the comics, sorry.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center"><p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Astute readers may notice fonts and speech bubbles changing around a bit for the next few images. This is because I redid the text on those pages where it was hand-written or inconsistent, and by this point had worked out how to do speech-bubbles.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>(*)Note: This thought was heard inside her brain. Thus the "eep" :)</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>(*)I don't remember what this aside was supposed to be. Probably 'This is the opinion of Teo, not the narrative'</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>This map is based on a picture of our moon with me trying to imagine how it would look through a bad telescope under the assumption the "black bits" were ocean (Which is what Galileo did). I also used <a href="http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1544a5.jpg">this map</a> to get the style right, but decided against sea serpents :)</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  
</p></div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center"><p><br/></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p><br/></p></div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center"><p><br/></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p><br/></p></div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center"><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p></p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p></div>Meanwhile, in Amniat, Teodora was beginning to worry that Sabeduria itself might be about to be acquired.<p>She had to admit that for a prisoner she was being treated pretty well. She had thankfully avoided any personal acquaintance with the dungeons back home, but she was fairly sure they didn't come with soft beds and indoor plumbing. She wasn't sure if even the Queen herself had indoor plumbing, it was a new and remarkably pleasant experience. And while she objected on principle to the idea of a vegetarian diet, she had to admit that the food, while strange, wasn't half bad, certainly better than the equally meatless bread and water you'd be lucky to get as a suspected spy in Sabeduria.</p><p>The council of generals had even been polite when they'd interrogated her, acknowledging her position as the official ambassador of her country. But it had still been an interrogation.</p><p>As Vorn had explained as they walked to the meeting hall, the council were   the closest thing the city had to a formal government and had no official leader. The <em>un</em>official leader was a woman named Pratima. She was very charming, and scary as hell.</p><p>"I take it you are impressed with our city Lady de Castille? Foreigners generally are. But such wonders as these can be yours too! We have spread civilisation to cities al over the world, our suzerainity extends across hundreds of leagues and includes many diverse cultures and peoples. Just think of how happy your people will be when we are able to bring them such wonders as philosophy and art and regular bathing."</p><p>Teo blushed and wondered just how much detail had been reported back to the generals. It was not that she was unused to bathing (she had had <em>several</em> baths, even just this year!), she just wasn't used to doing so with a roomful of other women watching. The fact that she could not easily communicate with her guard had not helped matters, it has taken a lot of embarrassing pantomime and tangled limbs and fabric before she had gotten clean and dressed into the clothing she'd been given. She had a feeling it still wasn't pinned right.</p><p>"We have our own philosophy and art. And baths. And we lost a lot of blood getting ourselves free of the Delnortan Empire, I doubt anyone would appreciate being subservient to a new one."</p><p>Pratima frowned. "Vorn clearly didn't translate very well. We are not an empire, we would never set up some dictator or queen to control you against your will. We would <em>liberate</em> your people from the oppression of a dictatorial queen and set up a better, democratic government, obeying the will of the people, supported by the strength of the suzerainity and only required to offer us a small regular tribute in thanks."</p><p>Teo looked at Vorn. This whole "translation" thing was pretty weird, the way Pratima's unfamiliar words formed into clear concepts in her mind. It didn't <em>feel</em> like there was any ambiguity, but how was she to know? Vorn pointedly avoided her gaze, but whether it was a more subtle form of telepathy or something about his expression she somehow got the distinct message of "Nope, sorry, you're totally screwed".</p>
<hr/><p>And I'm afraid to say...this is it. I wrote myself into a corner, and while I have some ideas of where to take the story next, they all get rather dark before they get happier, and I don't have high hopes of figuring out where to go after that. So I decided to quit while I was ahead. My deepest apologies, I know how frustrating an unfinished story is.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have forgotten most of what I was planning for this comic, but some things I remember:</p><p>They're talking cats because this started out based on a dream about talking cats, and also deep down I'm a little bit of a furry.</p><p>Teodora's World:<br/>The country names were all very lazily based on like...the Latin or Greek for "North" etc. It was basically upside down Europe/Asia in the 1500s or so, which was <i>slightly</i> less of a cliche in 2005.</p><p>Sabeduria is basically renaissance Spain, Lajos was I think based on Sweden.</p><p>The Delnortans were based on China in the sense of being a big advanced country that mostly keeps to themselves, but with some elements of South East Asian cultures and also France. They had an empire in the past which the Sabedurians broke free of.</p><p>I based the Elsurians on various northern European groups, including some indigenous groups, which makes me VERY UNCOMFORTABLE with Jez's broken English/Sabedurian. I was trying to subvert racist stereotypes and I FAILED.</p><p>Andrei and Celeste's family were a mixture of Delnortans and Elsurian immigrants to Delnorta, and then moved to the xenophobic Sabeduria for...reasons I forget, and did their best to fit in. </p><p>Andrei eventually moved south because he's gay and the Elsurians are more chill about that sort of thing. Relatedly, Jez is bi and poly and has like 2 wives and a husband along his trade routes (who in turn have their own other partners), but noone in the expedition knows because they never asked.   </p><p>I think the Lajosans were ALL SECRETLY TELEPATHIC or something ridiculous like that. They were like...gender neutral but very religious and a little culty. I had some big plot planned I have entirely forgotten but vaguely recall Jez and Merlo ended up with shippy Trust Issues. </p><p>THE MOON:</p><p>Basically identical to our moon, except with portals to planets with atmosphere. So there's thin atmosphere around the portals, causing duststorms, but further away it's calmer and more deadly. </p><p>I have almost entirely forgotten what was going on with the portals. Maybe gods were involved??</p><p>Vorn's World:</p><p>Amniat: A mixture of ancient Athens and some specific egalitarian ancient Indian society, but with matriarchy and vegetarianism (they have some local plant which prevents the health problems cats get from vegetarianism)</p><p>Vorn's people: Basically Vikings. But like...connected to the Lajosans thanks to immigration via portal many years in the past? Or something?</p><p>Vorn was basically a shitty viking who the other vikings disliked for being telepathic (which was considered unmanly) and also kind of a troublemaker. </p><p>In his late teens he ended up captured by Captain Jalani and her girlfriend, who decided he'd make a useful asset and married him as like husband number 3. That's his wife and daughter near the end of Chapter 3. Although he and his wife <i>mostly</i> got along, Vorn didn't entirely enjoy being husband number 3 of an older woman who treated him like an adorable pet, and had a string of girlfriends. His wife didn't care which rather took the fun out of it. That's his most recent ex near the start of Chapter 3.</p><p>Kira has a crush on Captain Jalani and thinks his wife is super cool (or...vice versa?), and resents Vorn for  being honoured enough to be part of that circle and not even appreciating it. </p><p>Vorn's daughter is also telepathic! I think she like...BECOMES A GOD and MAKES EVERYTHING HAPPEN THROUGHOUT TIME IN A CLOSED LOOP or something.</p><p>But I wasn't sure how to get there. And thus, the story stopped.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>